Stopping Misinformation At The Gate: News Literacy Project's Peter Adams
Feb 20, 2024
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Eric Schurenberg and Peter Adams discuss the importance of media literacy in combating misinformation, focusing on news literacy training, dealing with bias in news sources, collapsing media business models, and the responsibility of news consumers in curating their media diet.
Media literacy empowers individuals to discern credible information, combating misinformation effectively.
Curating a diverse news diet and understanding bias are essential in navigating the information landscape.
Deep dives
Importance of Media Literacy in Fighting Misinformation
Media literacy is crucial in combating misinformation, as it helps news consumers develop critical thinking skills to navigate the complex information landscape. While debunking falsehoods is important, media literacy offers a scalable solution by empowering individuals to decipher credible information themselves. The News Literacy Project (NLP) is an education nonprofit organization that focuses on training educators to impart media literacy skills to students. By distinguishing credible sources from fiction and understanding the significance of quality journalism, media consumers are equipped to recognize bias, curate their own media diet, and understand the impact of misinformation on society.
The Role of NLP in Promoting Media Literacy
The News Literacy Project (NLP) was founded in 2007 by Alan C. Miller, a former investigative journalist at the Los Angeles Times. Recognizing a lack of media literacy among younger generations, NLP developed a curriculum to teach students how to navigate the information environment, discerning trustworthy sources, and understanding the importance of credible information. Through initiatives like Checkology, a virtual learning environment, NLP has reached thousands of educators and students, facilitating their growth in media literacy. They also provide resources like Rumour Guard, which helps individuals recognize misinformation patterns and tropes, fostering a greater awareness of the media landscape.
Challenges Faced by Traditional Media and Evaluating Non-Traditional Sources
In today's information ecosystem, traditional media outlets are not immune to challenges. Changing business models and increasing competition have impacted newsroom operations, affecting both news coverage and revenue. When evaluating non-traditional sources of news, it is essential to consider the characteristics of credible information rather than relying on a pre-determined list of sources. The News Literacy Project emphasizes the importance of transparency, accuracy, fairness, and accountability as essential qualities of credible information. By teaching individuals to understand these ideals, they can discern reliable information regardless of the source and effectively evaluate different types of bias present across media platforms.
Empowering Individuals to Curate a Healthy News Diet
Curating a diverse and balanced news diet has become a responsibility for news consumers in the ever-evolving information environment. Recognizing and minimizing personal biases is a key aspect of this process. The News Literacy Project encourages individuals to be aware of how algorithms shape their social media feeds and actively seek out diverse perspectives. By deliberately consuming news from a variety of sources, including traditional outlets and fact-checking organizations, individuals can combat filter bubbles and gain a more comprehensive understanding of current events. The goal is to foster critical thinking, recognize falsehoods, and engage in productive conversations about media and information.
Welcome to In Reality, the podcast about truth, disinformation and the media with Eric Schurenberg, a long time journalist and media executive, now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media.
There are two ways to fight misinformation: One is to debunk falsehoods after they have surfaced. The other is to help create media literate news audiences, who can recognize false claims before they take root. Debunking, necessary though it is, inevitably hands the initiative to manipulators and propagandists. Media literacy, on the other hand, helps news consumers debunk their own news feed. It simply scales better.
Today’s guest has spent the past decade and a half engaged in the media literacy cause. A former educator, Peter Adams is the research director of the News Literacy Project, a 15-year-old non-profit that trains middle-school and high-school teachers to impart the media literacy and critical thinking skills their students need to navigate today’s incredibly challenging information ecosystem. Peter and Eric discuss the penetration of news literacy training in school systems, how to deal with bias in news sources, the impact of collapsing media business models on the news environment, and the responsibility of news consumers to curate their own media diet.
Topics
Origin Story of the News Literacy Project
Role of the Research and Design Team
Penetration of NLP's Curriculum in School Systems
Definition of News Literacy and Its Components
Evaluation of Non-Traditional Sources of News
Understanding Bias in News Coverage
Challenges Faced by Mainstream Media
Political Bias in News Coverage
Impact of Changing Business Models on News Coverage
Addressing Partisan Bias in News Literacy Education
Responsibility of News Consumers in Curating a Healthy News Diet